Meet Dan “Rowdy” Rau, senior sales advisor at Fiserv.
Tell us a little about your business. – Fiserv is the largest Financial Technology (FinTech) company in the world. We are in 100% of homes and process 12,000 transactions a second. We also have over six million merchants and over 10,000 financial institutions.
How did you get started in the business? – I got started back in 2009 after the 2008 recession hit and PayPal was hiring. It was the cool company everybody wanted to work for. I rose through the ranks pretty quickly as I was promoted every eight months there. In my last job, I won an iPad every month for eight months through a sales contest.
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced professionally? – The biggest challenge I’ve faced professionally is being able to set a standard of expectations and the ability to keep everyone happy and satisfied. Humans are intangible, emotional creatures, so continuing to ask questions and keep constant connection with people in businesses have allowed me to work against that obstacle.
What has been your most important achievement professionally? – My most important achievement professionally was working together with a business owner that was able to send one of his children to a university because of our partnership. Combined with my technology and network of partnerships, he was able to build vendor relationships that saved him money connected with the savings through my technology. He had no formal education, so by our partnership he broke the cycle of education that has plagued his family through multiple generations.
Tell us a little about your family. – I have been married to my wife, Priscilla, for 16 years and together for 23 years. She is the glue behind Team Rau. I have two children, an 11-year-old daughter named Brieley and an 8-year-old son named Braedan.
What do you see as one of the biggest turning points in your life? – One of my biggest turning points was when I was baptized in the Christian faith at 27 years old. A close second is the birth of my son. I did not grow up with a father, so it made it much more important to be able to raise him into a man. I say if I’m not the man I want my son to be, then change. This keeps me accountable in all aspects of my life.
What is the most unique or interesting thing about you that most people probably don’t know? – I have six black belts in different martial arts and have been active over the last 30 years.
What is your favorite quote or the best piece of advice you’ve ever received? – Enhance and enrich the lives or others to build lifelong relationships. Do the hard things first and work to control some of the enduring actions in your life. This allows for future hardships to be easier and manageable. Service to others is the rent we pay for our room here on Earth.
If you could choose only one descriptive word to be remembered as, what would it be? – Rowdy.
What local nonprofit organization(s) are you passionate about or involved with, and are there any special reasons why? – Rejuvenating Women. They are helping those in need battle against one of the greatest crimes against humanity, human trafficking.
What is your favorite local restaurant? – The Founder’s Club at 88 Tactical.
If you could have dinner with one famous person from the past or present, who would it be? – Jesus.
If our readers would like to contact you, how should they do so? – Daniel.rau@fiserv.com; (402) 630-3472; cardconnect.com/partner/dan-rau.